The Catholic Church of Iceland, the Pentecostal Church and the Church of Iceland's eastern province opposed the changes.

The Catholic Church wrote in comments submitted after the bill was proposed: "Should freedom of expression go so far as to mean that the identity of a person of faith can be freely insulted, then personal freedom - as individuals or groups - is undermined."

The Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association said that the new law included provisions to ensure that people could still be prosecuted for hate speech.

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Germany's Pirate Party have been active in campaigning against government-led surveillance

The Pirate Party

The Pirate movement was formed in Sweden in 2006 and has since spread to more than 60 countries.

None has seen as much success as the Icelandic branch, which says it is an "international political force fighting for genuine transparency and accountability in government".